The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-11-20
How a Pet Monkey Alarmed a
Boarding House,
AND SCARED A MAIDEN LADY.
Who Took Him for the Ghost of a
Lover Who Had Come Back
From the Grave.

never so happy as when they are
engaged in some mischeiVous and re-
prehensible enterprise. There was once
ghost who made persistent practice
of robbing a widow lady's hen-roost.
Any one will admit that spook capa-
BILE of such depravity is entitled to no
respect. Then there were ghosts who
stationed themselves on lonely high
ways to brighten passing travellers. But
a ghost recently appeared in this city
which for innate and diabolical cussed-
ness exceeds anything ever related of
lnanimate spirits. Up on Geary Street
is situated large boarding house which
is generally full of very charming PEG
Pile. The only thing that detracts from
the pleasures of life in this delightful
house is pet monkey, belonging to one
| of the boarders. This disgusting anil
NAL has great initiative faculties, and
nothing apparently delights him so
much as to do everything he sees bis
mistress do. He often dresses up in her
| bonnet and shawl and rambles through
the hills with evident pride and clearly
imagines himself to be dressed as COR
geously as was the Queen of Sheba
| when she visited the royal Israelite.
One night lady who was guest in
the caravansary had attended spirit
| Hal seance, anu had the pleasure Of con-
versing with many departed friends,
| who made flying trips from paradise for
her special edifcation and amusement.
But there was one spirit she had sum-
moned who refused to talk to her. This
eccentric Wanderer from beyond the
visible world had been very dear to her,
in the time when he was a mortal like
herself, and his strange conduct on the
night of the seance had filed her with
wonder and amaZement. Thinking of
this incident and greatly troubled in
mind and sore at heart she finally fell
asleep.
1t was long after midnight when she
| awoke from a curious maze OF dreams
with frightened consciousness that
some strange visitor was in her room.
The Pickering light OF the street lamp
opposite her window shone dimly in
her room. In the pale yellow light she
discerned grotesque figure sitting on
the foot OF her bed. Its head was
clothed in nightcap, and long, loose,
white robe enveloped the shrunken and
emaciated body. As the lightning
strikes the tree and prints deep its
whitening impression, so the conviction
flashed upon her mind that this unholy
yisitant was the spirit of her dead lover,
whom she had valnly tried to interview
few hours before. But, alas, how
changed! The features we're distorted
with malice, and he grinned at her
mockingly. She tried to scream, but
her tongue Glove to the roof of her
mouth and the parched throat emitted
no sound. Then the uncanny and dia
bolical emmisary of Satan winked at
her. This was more than maiden LADY
convulsed with mortal terror can en-
dure, and summoning all her energy,
she demanded sternly-
Leave my room, sir, tits Instant
But the withered, prune like face
only wreathed itself in more CHASTITY
mirth.
IF you are spirit, SIR" exclaimed
the lady, respect the woman you loved
on earth, and spare me the shame Of
this unWarrantable intrusion"
But the ghost only nodded its head
and grinned in malicious glee. She
then betheught her that only short
time previous to the decease of her be-
trothed they had had what the young
and tender-hearted know as q lovers
quarrel; and it was possible that in
revenge for the real OK imaginary slight
she had at that time put upon him this
transformed lover meant to inhict upon
her some terrible punishment. She had
read somewhere that the dead had
power to lay awful spells upon the liv-
ing, and what If this grinniue and
malicious demon meant to change her
into some horrible ana revolving carica.
ture of life. The thought was appall-
ing, and the terrible fright loosened her
tongue and enabled her to give vent to
terrific yell. 1t penetrated the lonely
corridors of the house like trumpet.
and went echoing from room to room
in awful diapason. 1t alarmed the
whole establishment and convulsed the
ghost with terror and dismay. With q
wild scream it leaped from its station at
the foot of the bed, and climbing
de1terously. with its trailing robes fiut-
tering behind it, disappeared through
the transom. But this method of
escape only added to the terror of the
lady. She lifted up her voice and put
to shame the tremors of the cslliope.
Such shrieks never echoed through that
house before. They aroused every
sleeping inmate. The frightened guests
crowded into the halls with blanched
and tsrror-stricken faces. They saw
little black-faced figure clad IN long
flowing robes flying like an express
train through the halls. They heard
echoing after it, like vail OF despair,
the cry:
THE ghostl the ghostl"
They crowded into the room from
whence issued this frightful sound, and
saw their friend and fellow-iodger lying
on the bed in hysterical commissions.
What is the matter2" they all cried
at once.
The ghost! the ghost!" moaned the
lady.
"What ghost?" they demanded with
white and psllid faces.
"Oh, have been visited by the ghost
of dead friend, who has frightened me
terribly. Did you not see it as it fed
through the hall?"